Undercover LAPD officers posing as citizens trying to report police misconduct were routinely dismissed or stonewalled by fellow officers in a series of stings, according to the federal monitor overseeing police reforms.

The monitor said in a report that the officers’ failure to properly handle complaints was “outrageous and discouraging,” reported the Los Angeles Times.

In one case, a sergeant who was supposed to be taking a complaint from an undercover officer posing as a juvenile took an inordinate amount of time, stretching the process beyond 10 p.m., the report said. After documenting the complaint, he detained the “juvenile” for violating curfew.

Federal monitor Michael Cherkasky said the department’s failure to adequately record citizens’ complaints calls into question whether there has been “the necessary cultural shift” in the Los Angeles Police Department to comply with a consent decree.

The department entered into the consent decree with the Justice Department after the Rampart scandal two years ago, requiring the LAPD to make a host of reforms. Cherkasky issues quarterly reports assessing the department’s compliance with the agreement.

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The award honors individuals in the media or media-related fields who have advanced national understanding on the 21st century challenges of criminal justice. It will be presented Feb 16, 2017 at a dinner at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

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